Don't Let Them
by theauthorwearsprada
Summary: ."Anything for you, Draco. I'd do anything, just name it." "No matter what, don't let them take your love away." One-shot, song-fic. DracoOC.


_**Don't Let Them**_

Summary: She loves him and he loves her. Too bad her friends don't feel the same. One-shot, song-fic. Draco/OC.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Azalea and the plot. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling and the song belongs to Ashanti ('Don't Let Them,' Concrete Rose).

_You say that you want me (yeah)_

_You say that you'll never leave me (yeah)_

_You gotta tell me you need me (and)_

_Don't let them take your love away._

Azalea walked out of Hogwarts and towards the lake. She looked around and then leaned against their tree. She was waiting, waiting for her certain someone.

Minutes ticked by, but they felt like hours. Just as she was about to go back to the castle and give him a piece of her mind the next day, she felt hands on her shoulders and lips on her neck.

Azalea turned around and smiled.

"Hey," Draco whispered. "Sorry I'm late; Filch caught me in the hallway. It took a while for me to come up with a good excuse. And then I remembered I was a prefect and said I was patrolling." He gave her a sheepish grin.

"It's okay," she murmured back.

Her arms snaked around his neck and he put his hands on her hips. Draco leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers. It sent tingles down her spine and she slightly opened her mouth. Their tongues danced and she entangled her fingers in his hair. The kiss deepened and they sank to their knees. Draco pushed Azalea against the tree trunk as she uttered a soft moan. His hands snuck under her shirt and she pulled his shirt collar to bring him closer. She wrapped her legs around his waist. Finally, the two broke apart, panting.

Draco sat against the base of the tree and Azalea climbed onto his lap. He put a protective arm around her waist and she laid her head on his chest. He gently rocked her as they both stared up at the stars.

"What are you thinking about?" Draco asked as he lovingly stroked her hair.

Azalea sighed, "You know."

"Oh," he replied knowingly. "It's them again, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she said, frustrated. "This is our relationship and funnily enough, in the end, it always ends up about them and what they think! Why can't they just accept us? This is all so stressful."

"Shh," Draco coaxed her. "Relax, honey. You're right; this is our relationship, which means it's about us. Don't let everyone else tell you whether or not it's right because you know. It's in your heart. And I hope your heart is saying yes."

Azalea laughed and they stood up. Draco twirled her around and bent her over backwards. He was an expert at it and she always loved it.

"It's getting cold, let's head back up to the castle," Draco said.

He took off his cloak and draped it around her shoulders. Hand in hand, they walked up the hill.

As quietly as possible, Draco creaked the door open and then after Azalea got in, glanced around to see if anyone was there. No one was, so they proceeded down the hall.

He took her hand and interlocked their fingers. Azalea loved times like this, when they just held hands and walked. There was so much emotion between them at these times, which words couldn't express. She just felt so safe, so loved.

They reached the intersection where they had to break apart, Draco turning left to go back to the Slytherin common room and Azalea turning right to go to the Gryffindor one.

"I hate this part," Draco said, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

"I know me too. Sometimes I just wish that the hallway would go on and on so you would never leave me," Azalea said, looking at the floor.

Draco lifted her chin so her eyes met his. "I'll never leave you."

After a quick kiss, they parted, Draco constantly looking behind him, as if someone would just jump out of nowhere and take away his Azalea.

Azalea grinned the whole way back to the common room.

"I love him," she sighed happily as she reached the portrait.

"I'm sorry, but that's not the password, Azalea," the Fat Lady said with a smile.

"Oh, sorry," she replied, biting her lip. "Phoenix tears."

The Fat Lady swung her portrait open and shut again after Azalea got in.

"A Gryffindor and Slytherin in love," she said to herself. "How tragically romantic."

_Some say that I am a fool to love you_

_And some say that I'm too dumb to know what's right for me._

Azalea wandered back into the common room looking much disheveled. In Ron's eyes, she looked guilty and that made him angry. The fact that she was wearing a cloak that had the Slytherin badge on it made it worse.

She saw Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and immediately sat down in the armchair next to them. They were her best friends and she always enjoyed their company. Well, she did when Ron wasn't on her about her love interest.

"So, where have you been this fine evening?" Ron began accusingly. "Out having an affair with the enemy again?"

Hermione sighed. "Please, don't start again Ron!"

"Don't start? Don't start, you say, Hermione? I never stop! And I don't plan on ever stopping until Azalea realizes that her relationship is a dumb idea!" Ron exclaimed.

Azalea's eyes started to water, but she blinked back her tears, refusing to cry in front of him, lest he blame the tears on Draco.

"Ron! My relationship is what it is, mine! You have no right to judge it, or tell me whether or not it's a dumb idea because it isn't! You don't even know Draco like I do! He may be mean to you, but he isn't like that with me! All he's ever known is pain, bitterness and the prejudice his parents have taught him, what do you expect from a child who grew up like that? If you at least stop provoking him and try, maybe you'll get a different result!" Azalea cried. The common room began to clear out; they didn't want to have to listen to the war that would rage on between the two of them.

"You blame his attitude on a screwed up childhood? Look at Harry! I'm sure that Harry's childhood was way worse than Malfoy's and you don't see him walking around like he thinks he's better than everyone else! Malfoy has made fun of my family the entire time I've been at Hogwarts. How do you expect me to try and be friends with him? That's the last thing I want to do!"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, looking very uncomfortable. He didn't want to be brought into Azalea and Ron's conflict. Personally, he didn't trust the little bugger either, but Azalea was a confident girl and she knew how to handle herself. Besides, she seemed happier ever since they began to date and whatever made her happy, Harry was okay with. But the second she hinted that her relationship was getting hurtful, he'd pound Malfoy into the ground.

"I don't expect anything out of you, Ron, except for you to act like my friend! Don't you notice that we hardly ever talk anymore? And that when we do, we're always fighting! I hate that, Ron. Why can't you just be happy for me? Draco makes me feel good about myself, he makes me feel loved. A real friend would understand. A true friend would give him a chance."

Ron sighed. He hated it when Azalea made him feel guilty and wrong. "Azalea, please," he pleaded. "Don't be foolish and think you're in love with him. You don't know him like I do. He's not right for you, I know he's not."

"Oh, and I suppose you know who is, then?" Azalea questioned briskly. She didn't even give him time to answer because she stormed down the common room and up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

_But only I can live my live and only I can fill my heartache._

Once up the stairs, Azalea climbed onto her bed, closed the curtains and sobbed into her pillow. She remembered last year, when she and Ron were on good terms. They used to be best mates and now they couldn't even have a civilized conversation.

She heard someone open her curtains. She turned around and the intruder happened to be Hermione. Azalea sat up and Hermione sat down on her bed.

"Hey," Azalea said, not knowing what else to say.

"Hey," Hermione replied. She looked Azalea in the eye and enveloped her in a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Azalea assured her. "It's Ron that should be sorry. Even Harry is okay with me and Draco. Why can't Ron just accept the fact that I'm going out with a Slytherin? I mean it's not the end of the world. I mean, you understand right? You believe in inter-house unity. This isn't any different. If a Gryffindor can be friends with a Slytherin, why can't you date one?"

"I understand completely," Hermione said. "It's just that, Ron is still a classic Gryffindor. He still thinks that Slytherins are the enemy and they must be avoided at all times, or else fought. Ron just doesn't understand that times are different now and anyone can be friends or dating regardless of the house they're in. Don't worry, he'll warm up eventually. He just needs time to open his mind."

"Well I'm tired of waiting!" Azalea complained. "We've been going out for a while now and Ron still refuses to accept him. He needs to realize that it's my life and I can do what I want with it. If Draco breaks my heart, which I hope he won't, then it's my heartache I'll have to deal with. I know he thinks he's being protective, but this is on a whole new level! Now I know how Ginny feels."

Hermione laughed. "Just try to get some sleep. Ron will come around tomorrow. Good night."

She gave Azalea another hug. "Good night, Hermione. And thanks."

"For what?"

"For being an awesome and understanding best friend."

Hermione beamed at her and then closed her curtains, letting her fall back onto her pillow and fall asleep moments later.

_I never play to know everything but I know when your love's away_

_I can't sleep and I can't eat, I can't live and I can't breathe_

_So don't make a fool of me, just love me._

Azalea awoke to her alarm clock ringing at 7:00 A.M. She stumbled out of bed after not having a very pleasant sleep and realized that she slept in her clothes last night. She got into the shower and purposely took a long time in the bathroom so that she wouldn't have to walk with the trio. The last thing she wanted this morning was another showdown with Ron. At least in the Great Hall, she knew that Ron wouldn't make a scene. She was safe in there.

After leaving the bathroom, Azalea grabbed one of her school uniforms and put it on. She picked up her knapsack and left the dorm. She poked her head downstairs to see if her three friends were waiting for her. Thankfully, they weren't. Hermione must have known that she didn't want another shouting match with Ron and got them out. It was times like these when she was so glad that she had such a smart friend like Hermione.

Azalea hurried down the stairs and past the portrait hole. She then slowed down to a leisurely walk as she made her way to the Great Hall. After a few minutes, she finally reached the double doors. Lost in thought, some not so pleasurable, she didn't even realize she was there. Head held high to mask her feelings, she opened the doors and strolled in.

The second she got to the Gryffindor table, she saw an empty spot next to the trio. Dreading an awkward silence during breakfast, she instead headed to a seat next to Parvati and Lavender. When she wanted to get away from Quidditch and schoolwork, the two girls were her other friends.

Azalea sat down and greeted them. She made a show about piling food a mile high onto her plate, even though she didn't have much of an appetite, just so she wouldn't have to take part in any conversation. While she was busy eating, she didn't realize that a chat about her was taking place. And this chat didn't exactly show her in a good light, more like one of a fool.

_Now they say me loving you will hurt me_

_And they say it's a matter of time before you break my heart._

The trio sat down at the Gryffindor table and began to put food into their plates. Ron quickly glanced at Azalea at the same time she glanced up across the Great Hall.

"I can't believe it; she's giving him these looks! Doesn't she know that people are eating?" Ron grunted.

"Well then don't look, mate," Harry replied.

"I saw that and she was not giving him looks, Ron! She was glancing up from her food. You know, normal people do that often, unlike you, who never lets his eyes stray from his plate during a meal," Hermione said, annoyed. Ron would not let this go.

"Well even if she wasn't giving him a look right now, she does give him looks, you know," Ron said, pushing the subject. "Like during Potions class. They're always looking at each other and smiling in this knowing way and then look down. Then they look at each other again."

"Well you sound well-versed in these manners," Harry said, getting tired of it all.

Ron just gave him a dark look.

"She just loves him," Hermione said. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"No, that's the thing that's wrong! The fact the she loves him! It's going to backfire on her and hurt her." Ron said.

"How do you know?" Hermione asked. "You can never know when it comes to love. Sometimes it's exactly what you think it's going to be and sometimes it's totally unexpected. You can't put an expiration date on it. Just leave it be, Ron."

"Whatever you say, Hermione," Ron replied. "But no matter what happens, I still think that it's a matter of time before he breaks her heart."

"Well if he does, we'll get him, Ron," Harry said. "For now, she's perfectly happy and I'm glad. If she's happy, I'm happy and you should be, too."

"Okay," said Ron, unconvincingly. But by that time, it didn't matter because any chatter that was still going had to be stopped. It was time for double Potions with the Slytherins.

_But even when we're far apart, I always feel that you are here with me._

Azalea walked into Potions class and took a seat next to Hermione. It was very unlikely that Ron would bicker with her here, unless he really wanted a detention and House points taken away.

"Today we will be making the Strengthening Potion. Do any of you dimwits know what this does to the drinker? Not like this question is particularly hard, you'd be thick if you didn't know," Snape droned.

Draco raised his hand, as did Hermione. "Mr. Malfoy, please enlighten us," Snape said.

"The Strengthening Potion makes the drinker stronger, sir," Draco said.

"Excellent Mr. Malfoy, it looks like some of us have done their reading," Snape said, giving a pointed look to the Gryffindors. "Ten points to Slytherin."

"Like we actually had to read to figure that one out," Ron muttered. "Anyone who read the title would know. Except maybe Crabbe and Goyle."

Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas sniggered. "Is there something funny, Mr. Finnegan and Mr. Thomas?" Snape inquired. "Five points from Gryffindor from the both of you."

All the Gryffindors thought this unfair, but they didn't dare say anything in fear of having more points taken away.

Snape turned the board around. "The directions for the potion are on the board, I will be collecting them at the end of class for examination. You may begin."

Azalea didn't really know pay attention to what she was doing, she was just following Hermione's lead. When it came to the part where you had to let the cauldron simmer for a five minutes, she felt someone staring at her. She looked up and saw Draco's smirking face. She smirked right back and made him laugh a little. Then he sent her a note shaped like a dove as it flew across the room. Either Snape was oblivious to it all, or he favored Draco so much that he let it slide.

Azalea opened up the note and it said, "I love you," with hearts drawn all over. Hermione leaned across to look at it and she grinned. Azalea gave Hermione a playful push and tucked the note inside her bag to keep as a cute little memory.

Class was almost over, so Azalea finished up her potion and poured some into a vial. She walked up to Snape's desk to turn in her potion and prayed that she wouldn't fail. On her way up, she found that Draco had fallen into step with her. She looked up at him and smiled. He grinned down at her.

When Azalea got back to her seat, Ron was fuming. Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes and Azalea just ignored him.

Class ended and Hermione and Azalea walked out and headed to Charms. On the way out, Draco caught Azalea's eye and she mouthed a goodbye. He blew her a kiss and she pretended to catch it. Harry rolled his eyes and Ron groaned. Azalea gave Harry a playful slap on the arm and he put an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

Azalea looked up at him questioningly. "I wanna see Malfoy's reaction," Harry explained with a mischievous grin.

She laughed and nodded her head.

A couple of seconds later, they heard a yell of, "Oi, Potter, check yourself!"

Harry and Azalea looked back and Harry raised his hands and pretended to look innocent, then made a run for the Charms classroom.

Azalea laughed and waved a goodbye to Draco as she turned the corner to get to class.

_I hope and pray everyday that our love never goes away_

'_Cause I can't see where I would be without your love all over me_

_So don't make a fool of me, just love me_

Hermione, Azalea and Ron walked into Charms class to find Harry sitting alone at a table, the first one there, with his hands behind his head in a relaxed position.

"What took you guys so long?" Harry asked in mock confusion.

The three looked at each other and laughed.

Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw in their year, walked in and looked at them. "What's so funny?"

"It's a long story," Azalea replied, settling down in her seat next to Harry.

Slowly, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws entered the room and took their seats.

"Okay, class, settle down now!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, attempting to get the class in order. "We will be taking notes about the Color Changing Charm today! Now, this charm, when performed correctly, will turn…"

At that point, Azalea and the rest of the class began to zone out, writing down the odd sentence they picked up from the lecture. Only Hermione was still paying attention, practically writing down every single thing Flitwick said. She turned around to look at Azalea and frowned with disapproval.

Azalea had a habit of doodling on her parchment when she was supposed to be taking notes. Usually, she drew whatever she was thinking about at the moment. Today, her head was full of Draco. She spent the entire class time drawing little hearts and stars all over her paper.

Harry leaned over and looked and what she was writing. "Nice notes," he said, smirking.

Azalea blushed. "Shut up!" she whispered. She leaned over to check out Harry's parchment and saw that he drew brooms and little Snitches all over it. "I'd say the same to you."

Harry flashed a smile and his cheeks turned a hint of pink.

Azalea went back to her own thoughts. She became conscious about how many times a day she thought about Draco.

_Wow_, she thought to herself. _There most be a whole section of my brain devoted to thinking of him by now. _She giggled to herself, which caused Harry to give her a confused look. She just shook her head and stared out the window.

It was times like these when Azalea realized just how much she loved Draco. Their relationship was so serious; it was to the point where Azalea couldn't even imagine how her life would be without him. And the more she thought about it, the more it scared her. She couldn't believe that she was so far gone that she couldn't even function properly if she did not know his love was on lock. But if she had to feel this way for any boy, she was glad that it was Draco.

As the class gathered up their things to leave for lunch, Azalea sent up a silent prayer that Draco would always love her. And she hoped with all her heart that it would be answered.

_Baby you're all that I need in my life, right here with me._

Azalea had a quiet lunch with Hermione, Harry and Ron. After that, Gryffindor had no more classes with Slytherin, so the rest of the day was a blur.

Instead of sitting in the common room with her friends and maybe starting her homework with Hermione, Azalea went up to her dorm, put her stuff away and just laid on her bed, thinking. After a while, she decided to grab her Charms book and study when she heard a light tapping noise on the window. She got up to see what was making sound and noticed that it was Draco's eagle owl. It made her think back to when she first met him in the owlery.

_Azalea walked into the owlery to send a letter to her parents. She stopped when she saw a pale, blond boy feeding treats to a beautiful, preened eagle owl. She blushed a little and proceeded to retrieve one of the school owls, trying to act nonchalant._

_Azalea was in the process of tying the rolled up piece of parchment to the owl's leg when she felt the boy staring at her. She blushed even more and tried to pretend that she didn't know he was looking at her. After she told the owl where to go, it set tried to fly off, but it seemed that it was weak and couldn't carry the letter, even though it was fairly light. _

"_Oh, come on," Azalea urged the owl. "You can make it. Just try a little bit harder."_

_But regardless of Azalea's encouraging words, the owl still couldn't manage to take off. Occupied with the owl, she didn't notice that the boy was still there, watching the scene with a smirk on his face. He cleared his throat._

"_Ahem."_

_Azalea turned to face him. "Yes?"_

"_I noticed that you're having trouble with the school owl."_

_She smiled and replied, "Well nothing gets past you does it?"_

_He laughed and introduced himself. "I'm Draco Malfoy."_

"_Azalea Tompkins." She offered him her hand and he took it and kissed it. Her cheeks flushed red._

"_Well Azalea Tompkins, you're welcome to use my owl, if you'd like."_

"_Oh, thank you. That would be very helpful."_

_Azalea strode over to where he was standing. The owl gave her a dutiful look and stuck its leg out._

_As she was putting the letter onto the owl, she attempted to make conversation._

"_So, what's his name?"_

"_The owl?"_

_Azalea smiled. "Yes, the owl."_

"_Oh. Well, first of all it's a 'she' and second, I didn't name her."_

"_Why not? How long have you had her?"_

"_I've had her ever since my first year. I never named her because I just never got around to it. What's in a name, anyway?"_

_Azalea laughed. "How poetic of you. But it's a shame to have such a handsome owl and not even name her."_

"_Well would you like to?"_

"_Would I like to what?"_

"_Name my owl, of course."_

_Azalea paused it this. She just met this boy a couple of minutes ago and he was asking her to do such a personal thing. It was like in the span of five minutes, they had already made some sort of connection. She thought of what name would best match his owl and she quickly came up with one._

"_Esmeralda."_

"_Esmeralda?"_

"_Yes. Do you not like that name?"_

"_No, actually I think it's quite fitting. What made you think of it?"_

"_Well I've always though of 'Esmeralda' to be quite a beautiful and exotic name. So what better to name such a noble and stately looking owl?"_

_He tilted his head to the side and looked at her, as if trying to read her emotions. It disturbed her a bit._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing. It's just that you can think of a name as beautiful and exotic, yet you don't think of yourself that way."_

"_How would you know what I think of myself if you only met me minutes ago?"_

"_I can see it in your eyes."_

_Azalea realized that during the naming of the boy's owl, she had not sent it off yet. She promptly turned to the newly named Esmeralda and told her where to take it. Then she looked back at the boy. _

"_Well, Azalea Tompkins, I believe our meeting is over. I'll be seeing you." He turned to leave._

"_Bye," she called after him. It was a few minutes after he left that she realized Draco Malfoy was a Slytherin. _

Azalea opened up the window to let Esmeralda in. She took off the letter tied to her leg and opened it. Esmeralda flew off after she read it.

_Meet me in our spot?_

Azalea smiled and tucked the letter away. She put on Draco's cloak, which she still had from the other night and went down to the common room. She had to find Harry before she could leave. They were probably sitting in front of the fire.

As Azalea predicted, Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the armchairs right in front of the roaring flames. She tapped Harry on the shoulder and he turned around.

"Oh, hey, Azalea. What's up?"

"Um, I was just wondering if I could borrow your Invisibility Cloak."

"Oh sure, no problem. I'll run up and get it."

Harry sprinted up the staircase to the boys' dormitories and quickly came back down. He handed her the silvery item and she stood on her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks so much Harry. I'll give it back to you tomorrow, promise!"

Harry blushed and replied, "Yeah, no problem."

Azalea hurried out the portrait hole and into the hallway where she concealed herself. Then she quickly snuck through the halls and out of the castle onto the school grounds.

She wrapped her cloak tighter around her body. It was freezing. She was glad to see that Draco had taken it upon himself to arrive there first so she wouldn't have to wait.

Azalea snuck up behind him and covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" she asked in a playful voice.

"Hmm," Draco said in a mock thoughtful tone. "I'm not sure, but I think it's my gorgeous and lovely girlfriend."

She uncovered his eyes and said in a sarcastic voice, "No, it's Harry Potter!"

He turned around. "Really?"

She slapped his arm and said "Shut up!"

Draco grinned and picked her up and spun her around. She giggled and put her arms around him, holding him close. When they pulled apart, there was a solitary tear rolling down her cheek.

Draco wiped it away. "What's wrong?"

More tears came spilling down her face and she turned around. "I'm so sorry. It's just…everything is so different now. I mean, last year, Ron and I were on friendly terms and now he hates me."

Draco pulled her back and Azalea put her head on his shoulder. "He doesn't hate you. He hates me."

"Well, he hates me now because I'm with you! Don't get me wrong, if it was between being with you and having the whole world hate me or losing you forever, you'd know what I'd choose. I'm just so angry that people won't accept our relationship just because of what House we're from! You see them, Draco. You know. You see the way they look at us when we hold hands and walk down the halls. You hear the comments they make because of where we come from. People are so close-minded! They're ruining everything!"

Azalea sobbed into his shoulder. Draco rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Hush now, Azalea. Don't cry. People are like this because what we have is out of their comfort zone. No one has ever seen a Gryffindor and a Slytherin get along, let alone be together. It's human nature to reject the unfamiliar. But don't worry. Things will be different soon. Things will be better. You say that Granger and Potter have already accepted the reality of us. Pretty soon, others will follow suit. And eventually, Weasley will, too. We're going to have lots of hardships and bumps in the road because of who we are. But we're going to get through it all together. Know that I'll always be here for you. And promise me one thing, Azalea. Promise me this thing, no matter what happens and no matter what gets in our way."

"Anything for you, Draco. I'd do anything for you, just name it."

"No matter what, don't let them take your love away."

_You say that you want me (yeah)_

_You say that you'll never leave me (yeah)_

_You gotta tell me you need me (and)_

_Don't let them take your love away._

A/N: Well there you have it! This is my very first fanfiction. Please review! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, but flames are just rude. The only thing I'm worried about is the fact that the flashback is quite long. So let me know what you think!

Until my next story,

Aina (xoGossipGirlox)


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